Racing brothers conquer iconic course yet again

Mansfield sidecar aces Ben and Tom Birchall smashed race and lap records for the second time in less than a week as they won the second 2018 Locate.im Sidecar TT race at the Isle of Man TT event.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Jun 2018, 20:00 BST
Updated 19th Jun 2018, 11:30 BST

The win gave the brothers, Ben and Tom, their third TT double and eighth win around the 37.75-mile mountain course.

Ben said: “Two competitors pushed me all the way and on the opening lap the first board I saw said we were in second place — two seconds behind.

“I knew then we had a race on our hands.

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“Things felt really good with the bike though and the conditions were perfect, so I was able to push on a little harder — the lap times just come when everything is right like that.”

Tom said: “It feels amazing to take another win on the TT course — you can never take anything for granted.”

The IEG Racing and Mitchells of Mansfield-supported pair rode three terrific laps, all inside their previous lap record set in 2017.

Their second lap-time of 18 minutes 59.018 seconds — the first sub 19-minute lap for a sidecar — netted the brothers a new record average speed of 119.250mph.

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Tom equalled Manxman Dan Sayle as the most successful sidecar TT passenger.

Birchall Racing won the Fred Hanks Award for the fastest aggregate time in both sidecar races and, with three LCR outfits on the podium, were also awarded the Chassis Manufacturers Team Award.

Related topics:Mansfield